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Everyone reports what works for them and I'm raising the question as to whether one has to pay into a Kaplan program. Our meds pub review was done by a woman who writes questions for the boards, and she went through the book and hit on focus areas and ways to remember things. I took this review right after my BSN graduation (which was 2 weekends ago from UC) and that friday was Hesi. I started studying mid quarter, Spring, and had already done over 3,000 Mosby's questions, Hesi book review, Hesi cd, plus anything else in my path that I had time for by the time Hesi came. UC mandates a 900 to pass and I got 942. This woman told us to do 100 questions a day for 30 days, and 5,000 if we're weak or nervous about it. She said that most test takers are averaging 120 questions to pass and that most report Mosby's and Saunders as their product of choice. (I realize she probably wouldn't be promoting Kaplan's but then again, she didn't show loyalty to UC's method of making us score a 900 either.)

It just seems like the content is the content. These programs that are expensive are still covering the same content. Isn't it just about devouring question after question, supplementing it with studying? She emphasized that the test questions for "1st day graduates...no endocrinologists, not critical care specialists...1st day graduates".

Didn't anyone pass with this method? LOTS of practice and review?!!!

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Specializes in Pediatric critical care.

I took the kaplan complete and they pretty much just do questions. Its not really content based. I also had to take hesi. I passed boards with 75 questions. Don't know if that's what you were asking??? Also, my school paid for us to take the meds pub review, personally, I thought it was awful, but it could have just been the instructor.

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Thanks. Your experience is similar to mine - our school made us pay each quarter for meds pub but those questions were easy and used for learning. The finale review had a good instructor but one person from our class just took nclex and said it really didn't apply to the test he just took!!! Ha - yikes. For example, she highlighted each of the common picks for boards in each medication section. He said he had drugs he never heard of and one antiemetic drug that is familiar with was not one of the picks she gave us. So, I guess I won't rely too much on that now! Geesh.

I did some of the new format questions offered with the ncsban course I bought and some were very challenging. I'm going to keep doing test bank questions there and I'm doing some Kaplan otc book questions now. I got a 69 or 70 on the cd rom test and thought, "how did I do so well on Hesi?!!!" I stink!

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Specializes in Plastic surgery and Med/surg.
Everyone reports what works for them and I'm raising the question as to whether one has to pay into a Kaplan program. Our meds pub review was done by a woman who writes questions for the boards, and she went through the book and hit on focus areas and ways to remember things. I took this review right after my BSN graduation (which was 2 weekends ago from UC) and that friday was Hesi. I started studying mid quarter, Spring, and had already done over 3,000 Mosby's questions, Hesi book review, Hesi cd, plus anything else in my path that I had time for by the time Hesi came. UC mandates a 900 to pass and I got 942. This woman told us to do 100 questions a day for 30 days, and 5,000 if we're weak or nervous about it. She said that most test takers are averaging 120 questions to pass and that most report Mosby's and Saunders as their product of choice. (I realize she probably wouldn't be promoting Kaplan's but then again, she didn't show loyalty to UC's method of making us score a 900 either.)

We did exactly what you did. Medspub provided our review course the first week of May and it was free because we had already been paying for Medspub through our tuition fees. At the hospital I was to work for, they give you 850 dollars towards NCLEX fees and a review course. I did not take Kaplan, even though it was offered to us because it was 350 dollars and I did not have the money at that time to do it even though I was to be reimbursed.

I used Saunders and NCLEX 3000 and 3500 to study the month of May and June, tested June 17, 75 questions, and passed. So yes, it can be done

with taking just Medspub and doing questions like she said. Good luck to you.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, ICU, ER, Peds ER-CPEN.

We took a Hurst review, but out of the dozens of question banks and review cd's I used, Pearson's Exam Cram NCLEX-RN book & CD were spot on with the real thing in content and difficulty, Hurst & medspub.com's qbanks were not that helpful and I felt that the latter of the 2 was just too easy, I consistently scored in the 80's on medspub and the 70s on the Pearson review and passed with 86 questions and because Pearson introduced some of the new question formats I was more comfortable going into it, Good Luck to everyone!

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I dont know about the other programs but I like Kaplan. If you know the Saunders book, you know the NCLEX

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Good luck on your exam:clown:

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Thanks...I already posted somewhere on this site but I did pass with 75 questions. I left feeling fairly positive but in 2 days had convinced myself I failed.

I did not buy into any Kaplan program or anything like that. By looking at all the nclex books I have here, I could have spent the equivalent on them, however!

Glad it's over and I am going to start working on getting my Kentucky reciprocity on Monday since i live in Ohio but took a job in Kentucky.

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My school required us to take Kaplan, and pay for it ourselves. I've been doing questions on my own during the whole program, and I didn't find Kaplan any more helpful than Mosby, Saunders, Davis, or anyone else. The questions are at the same difficulty level, maybe slightly harder than Saunders is. The program also doesn't allow you to do questions by subject matter, so if you really need to review OB you need to use a different product. I thought it was a waste of money, but I also haven't taken NCLEX yet.

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How long does it take from being posted by Pearson as passing to being posted with an RN license for the state? My friend had his on Monday morning and he took his test on the Thursday before. I, too, took mine on Thursday and I do not have my rn license posted.

I didn't see anything about how long it is supposed to take.

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If anyone is interested, Medical Mysteries, abc, tonight, has Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome coverage. It's a condition that is in my family and I am passionate about educating people on it.

For those interested, watch and maybe we can discuss. Dr. Quigley, who is in Indianapolis, will be on the show and she's known as the most knowledgeable, ethical doctor in the country for these types of things. She is our family doctor.

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